Saving the World—One Vacation at a Time

Our picks for the best in volunteer travel in 2012

By

Anne Tergesen

December 19, 2011

Like most people, Nancy Hoecker, a 62-year-old pharmacist from Coos Bay, Ore., has strong feelings about what makes for a good vacation. In her case, it's spending at least part of the time nurturing the planet.

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Twice in recent years, she has traveled to Churchill, Manitoba, a tiny outpost on Hudson Bay, to help scientists there measure the effects of climate change. The work went from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In February.

Says Ms. Hoecker: "I don't like to sit on the beach drinking margaritas."

Countless varieties of "voluntourism" trips have sprung up in recent years, combining travel with volunteer work. Baby boomers appear to be fueling much of the interest, says Doug Cutchins, co-author of "Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others." Boomers "have the time, the financial resources and the perspective to understand the moral reasons for using their skills to help others," Mr. Cutchins says.

Volunteering provides a way to gain deeper insight into a culture or habitat, says Michele Gran, co-founder of Global Volunteers, a St. Paul, Minn., nonprofit that arranges such trips.

Volunteer vacations run the gamut from affordable jaunts to $30,000 luxury trips overseas. To get you started, we've identified 10 opportunities. Prices include food and accommodations but not airfare.

Here's your chance to do something unique in 2012—and make a difference in some small part of the world.

Pack Your Trunk

While on vacation in July, Ken and Barbara Dowell unearthed the vertebrae and rib of a 26,000-year-old mammoth.

ENLARGE

Working with paleontologists to unearth the 26,000-year-old bones of mammoths in Hot Springs, S.D.
Earthwatch Institute

With about a dozen other volunteers, the retired couple from Yucaipa, Calif., joined paleontologists excavating the Mammoth Site—a sinkhole 98 feet by 174 feet in Hot Springs, S.D. The site is known in paleontological circles as North America's largest graveyard for Columbian mammoths.

"We made a real contribution," says Mr. Dowell, 68, whose two weeks of volunteering was arranged by the Earthwatch Institute, a nonprofit specializing in environmental research.

After a training session, the volunteers—who stayed at a local motel—dug daily from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in an area enclosed by an air-conditioned museum. "You never have to worry about wind, rain or extreme temperatures," says Mr. Dowell. The Dowells spent evenings attending lectures on mammoths and paleontology. Volunteers can also explore the Black Hills, home to Mount Rushmore, bison, elk and bighorn sheep.

Dates: July 1-15; July 15-29

Fee: $3,095, including meals and motel, based on double occupancy; expect a turn on kitchen duty

Some Light Weeding

The Piedras Blancas Light Station, on California's rugged Big Sur coast, has been closed to the public for virtually its entire 136-year history. But in return for some hard work, you can stay in one of two unoccupied oceanfront duplexes built by the Coast Guard.

ENLARGE

After some conservation work, sharing an oceanside view with elephant seals on California's Big Sur coast
Sierra Club

The Sierra Club sponsors an annual eight-day trip to the lighthouse, whose grounds are a breeding spot for the once-endangered elephant seal. From your bedroom, "you can hear them snoring," says Dave Garcia, a former state ranger and the trip's leader.

As many as 10 volunteers work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. uprooting vegetation known as the "ice plant"—a species native to South Africa that various agencies planted in the area, in part, to prevent erosion. Now, though, it's crowding out native plants. The volunteers, who work on the grounds of the lighthouse and the nearby Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, replace the ice plant with native grasses, wildflowers and perennials. They also work on nature trails and paint and restore buildings.

On two free days, the group explores the light station and the coast, home to sea lion, California condor and humpback whales. Other attractions include Cone Peak and its albino redwood trees, Hearst Castle and wine tasting. A cook prepares meals, but guests should expect to help in the kitchen.

A Different Kind of Bay Watch

On her travels to Manitoba, organized by Earthwatch, Nancy Hoecker worked side by side with scientists studying the effects of climate change on the Arctic's fragile ecosystem.

The goal: to contribute to research that "has found substantial evidence" of warming in the permafrost—a frozen layer of tundra that's expected to release "vast carbon stores" as it thaws, according to an Earthwatch report.

In the summer, up to a dozen volunteers gather water and tree samples and spend their free time whale-watching on Hudson Bay, river kayaking, and touring the Eskimo Museum or historic Prince of Wales Fort. In winter, participants—who stay in dorm-style rooms and eat in a cafeteria—help measure the depth and temperature of the snow. Activities in February include dog sledding, igloo building and viewing the Northern Lights. Expect to see wildlife including caribou, moose, and polar and grizzly bear.

Now Playing in Namibia: Cats

Outside the parks and preserves that cover more than 15% of Namibia, leopards, cheetahs and smaller cats can fall prey to ranchers seeking to protect their livestock.

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Helping Scientists tranquilize and attach collars to leopards in Namibia, to learn more about the elusive animals' predatory habits
Biosphere Expeditions

On a private game farm an hour from the capital city of Windhoek, scientists and as many as a dozen volunteers with the international nonprofit Biosphere Expeditions are testing an idea that may offer some protection to both camps. "The hypothesis is that if there is a good supply of low-value natural prey, such as warthog or duikers, the big cats aren't really interested in livestock," says Alan Hoffberg, 71, a Longwood, Fla., resident and Biosphere's U.S. spokesperson.

Using binoculars, GPS and camera traps, the volunteers—who are trained to identify the cats' prints and scat—track the elusive animals, documenting their predatory habits in order to help plan ways to better protect cats and livestock. Staff and volunteers temporarily trap and tranquilize the cats to attach collars that transmit radio or GPS signals.

Mr. Hoffberg—who has been to Namibia three times—says "most groups manage to trap at least one cat." Scientists are scheduled to publish the first report in 2012.

A cook prepares meals in a compound consisting of safari tents, equipped with beds and hot showers.

Salut, Village People

In 1969, Henri and Simone Gignoux founded La Sabranenque, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring the medieval buildings in St. Victor La Coste, a rural village in the Provence region of southern France.

From May through October, the association hosts groups of as many as 16 volunteers in restored homes within the walled medieval village.

Volunteers typically restore buildings and walls in the mornings, using traditional construction techniques. Recently, crews built "dry" stone walls, made without mortar or concrete.

No skills are required. "Part of our goal is to make the techniques accessible," says program coordinator Sarah Grant.

In the afternoons, volunteers are free to explore sites including Avignon, Arles, Nîmes, and the wineries and Roman ruins that dot the mountainous countryside. Jeff Nelson, 60, of Minneapolis, says he even enjoyed his turn on kitchen duty. The chef, says the four-time La Sabranenque veteran, is full of tips on French cooking, and "the food is fantastic."

Cook Island Helpers

With their white sand beaches and turquoise lagoons, the Cook Islands are among the most remote in the South Pacific.

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Tutoring children in reading, one of many volunteer activities in the Cook Island of the South Pacific
Global Volunteers

Since 1998, Global Volunteers has offered one- to three-week programs for up to 20 volunteers in Rarotonga, the most populous of the nation's volcanic islands. There are a variety of jobs, including serving as a reading tutor to children, doing carpentry or repairs on schools and organizing activities at a senior center. Administrative tasks include filing or computer programming for local nonprofits. One popular choice: Working on trails and counting birds at Takitumu Conservation Area, a sanctuary for the endangered kakerori bird. From July to October there are jobs at the Cook Islands Whale Research and Education Centre, too.

In their time off, volunteers can snorkel, fish, hike or rest at their oceanside hotel. "The pace of life is so slow in the Cook Islands," says Ms. Gran.

Dates: Throughout the year.

Fee: $2,495 (1 week); $2,695 (2 weeks); $2,895 (3 weeks); prices include hotel, based on double occupancy, and meals; many meals are prepared by a cook or restaurant.

In the Historic Forest Service

Over the past 17 years, Stephen Waylett, 65, has participated in more than 90 projects with the U.S. Forest Service's Passport In Time program, dedicated to preserving historic artifacts on public lands.

"It is a wonderful way to see a bygone America," says the Moscow, Idaho, resident.

Mr. Waylett recently traveled to rural Mississippi to excavate the ruins of an Indian site that's about 9,000 years old. After a training session, the volunteers unearthed artifacts that included tools and spear points, he says.

ENLARGE

The retired naval officer has also helped clear vegetation from a bridge that was once part of the Yellowstone Trail, a road developed before World War I. And in August, he excavated a site in Idaho where a B-17 bomber crashed in 1943. The plane "was like a time capsule," says Mr. Waylett, whose team collected and photographed artifacts, including navigation tools, signal lights and oxygen bottles. He has also helped restore a historic cabin in Montana and helped prepare an oral history of former Forest Service employees.

Each project, Mr. Waylett says, provides "a snapshot of everyday life in a specific era." Because many take place in the woods, it is also "incredibly peaceful."

An average of eight to 10 volunteers camp or stay at a local hotel at their own expense. The accommodations and number of volunteers vary by project.

Dates: Throughout the year

Fee: No program fee, but, with a few exceptions, volunteers are responsible for their own food and camping equipment.

See Hawaii From the Missouri

While on vacation last year, Joseph Gould, 59, of Saugus, Mass., painted turrets on the USS Missouri, the battleship on which Japan formally surrendered in World War II.

During the past decade, Road Scholar, formerly known as ElderHostel, has sponsored as many as four trips a year for up to 30 volunteers willing to join the crew of the decommissioned battleship, now a museum in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Mr. Gould's group, composed of General Electric Co. employees who volunteer together, also polished brass, rewired lights, patched teak decks and painted signs.

Volunteers have set up exhibits, such as one in the ship's dentist's office, and organized maps and other documents in its archives, says group leader Rose Marie Meece, 78.

The program offers opportunities normally off-limits to the public, including an overnight stay in the crew's quarters and access to the engine room and captain's quarters. Volunteers, whose hotel and meals are included, attend lectures and can visit sites including Waikiki Beach, the Waikiki Aquarium and the USS Arizona Memorial.

Attacking Poverty in Peru

Some parts of Villa El Salvador, a 380,000-person shantytown on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, lack running water, and most lack paved roads.

Volunteers with nonprofit Cross-Cultural Solutions spend their mornings at tasks like teaching English, serving food, and organizing games and art projects for orphans or seniors. Some assist professionals at medical centers or facilities for the disabled.

In the afternoons, volunteers—whose numbers can range from one to 35—explore Lima or attend program-sponsored Spanish classes and lectures about Peru. Many travel on weekends or extend their stays to visit the Amazon, Machu Picchu or Lake Titicaca. Volunteers stay in a house owned by the nonprofit and eat meals prepared by a cook. On some trips, those 50 and older can request a private room for an extra $75 per week.

Life on a Madagascar Reef

Blue Ventures, a British nonprofit, sponsors eight trips a year to a remote fishing village on Madagascar's southwest coast. The goal: to monitor and protect the marine life that inhabits the massive Grand Récif de Tuléar reef.

Sessions last three to 30 weeks. Most of the up to 20 volunteers spend the first several days in intensive scuba-diving classes and lectures on coral reefs and the local environment. Scientists also teach them how to identify species of fish.

The volunteers then dive once or twice a day to survey and chart the reef in order to assess—and head off—potential threats to its sea anemones, corals and fish. By preserving the reef, the project also aims to protect the fishing industry that has dominated the local economy for generations, says Richard Nimmo, managing director.

Nondivers teach English, work in clinics, conduct surveys of endangered marine turtles and gather data on fish catches from more remote villages.

In 2005, Madagascar's Fisheries Department cited Blue Venture's research when it decided to ban octopus fishing for four weeks a year to prevent overfishing, says Mr. Nimmo.

Well, I teach classes here in Seattle about inexpensive volunteer travel and also, speak at Rick Steves Classroom. If you take a look at my website www.inexpensiveglobalvolunteering.com, you can get a sense of a few places but there are hundreds! I priced my CD at $10 for easy buying. I want everyone to have an easier time finding good inexpensive projects! Good luck.

I believe that this article was first posted last year. It still is a slanted view of volunteering in my opinion as the majority of these organizations are not grassroots projects developed in country but rather out of country projects charging HUGE amounts to keep their organization not help the developing country. I call myself an expert on inexpensive volunteering as I have been doing just that for the last 8 years and teaching others how to find inexpensive projects. I cringe, yes, cringe, when I read an article that is discussing 2 week projects for over $1000. There are MANY more projects for volunteers. I gathered together 80 pages of links to these projects. There are even FREE projects and they are based in the country!

The chap who runs Cross Cultural Solutions was paid $286k for a 40-hour work week, according to its IRS filings for 2009 (the most recent year) - nice gig! Meanwhile Global Volunteers netted just $7,500 from a 25th anniversary gala that had gross receipts of $47,000, per its 2010 filing.

I've just been all over Lonely Planet reading lengthy threads on Voluntourism. It is a very hot topic. Apparently it is also quite the scam, especially when it comes to going to Asia/Africa and helping kids. So, tread very carefully. I'm not sure the IRS is as generous as the article suggests. You have to be "on duty in a genuine and substantial sense throughout the trip. However, if you have only nominal duties, or if for significant parts of the trip you do not have any duties, you cannot deduct your travel expenses." So I think digging holes, painting walls and counting turtles might not count. Here are some IRS examples.

Example 1.

You are a troop leader for a tax-exempt youth group and you help take the group on a camping trip. You are responsible for overseeing the setup of the camp and for providing adult supervision for other activities during the entire trip. You participate in the activities of the group and really enjoy your time with them. You oversee the breaking of camp and you help transport the group home. You can deduct your travel expenses.

Example 2.

You sail from one island to another and spend 8 hours a day counting whales and other forms of marine life. The project is sponsored by a charitable organization. In most circumstances, you cannot deduct your expenses.

Example 3.

You work for several hours each morning on an archeological dig sponsored by a charitable organization. The rest of the day is free for recreation and sightseeing. You cannot take a charitable contribution deduction even though you work very hard during those few hours.

Volunteering is one of the best things a person can do! Imagine if everyone did at least one trip in their lifetimes - all the difference that would make to poorer economies around the world! And as noted above, volunteering can easily begin at home, working on a project locally. I did it the other way around - spent 3 months in Ecuador, working at an animal refuge, looking after crocodiles, jaguar, monkeys and parrots; then I ended up back home in England, looking for something to do. I discovered a homeless charity in London and worked for them over Christmas. There really are opportunities to volunteer everywhere you look, but it is worth doing your research - I only volunteer with fairly inexpensive projects, as I tend to go for at least 3 months. There are literally hundreds of projects across the globe where you can volunteer in an amazing natural setting for free or for pocket change.

The trouble is, as voluntourism becomes more popular, inevitably the larger companies move in and set up stall, drowning out the grass-roots projects with big flashy websites and high-dollar price tags. I would encourage readers to look a little harder when searching for their voluntary project - past the first couple of results pages in Google, for example. I've nothing against the 'big boys' of volunteering - they take the fear out of volunteering for people who want someone to organise the whole experience for them with one click of a button. These people might not volunteer otherwise - but for everyone else, I would suggest checking out one of the following publications:Green Volunteers.com (I found most of my voluntary projects with them, and they also list Humanitarian and Archaeological volunteering opportunities - their book lists projects by area (eg Mexico) by price (from free all the way up to top dollar) and nature of the work (eg leopard care, english teaching, etc).

My personal favourite is a book you can buy ($10 from Amazon!) listing a great range of projects, including a vast number of free and cheap ones, several of which I have visited:The Voluntary traveler http://www.amazon.com/Voluntary-Traveler-Adventures-Road-Traveled/dp/0980232368/It has a section of stories from volunteers to give you an idea of what conditions might be like etc, and then an exhaustive list of projects and their direct contact details.

The same people also publish '700 places to Volunteer Before You Die',http://www.amazon.com/700-Places-Volunteer-Before-You/dp/0982549482/ which is the mother of all Volunteer Guide Books! I defy anyone to not find what they're looking for in there!I've added links to some of these things, but I don't know if this comment box will allow them - anyone who'd like more info on any of these books, organisations, or projects feel free to drop me a line!All the best,Tony

I've been volunteering globally for the last 7 years. I teach classes on "Inexpensive Global Volunteering" and have a collection of projects on a CD. I was disappointed with your choices for top 10 sites as there are so many inexpensive grassroots local groups that accept volunteers. There are more people who would be interested in volunteering if they knew about all the opportunities around the world that just ask that you pay for room and board. You could even go country by country and find some great projects!

These all look like fantastic options. I love the variety of trips offered, both in the article and the comments. If anyone's interested in another trip, I work for Volunteer Expeditions, which plans volunteer vacations for groups to rebuild in New Orleans and tutor children in Jamaica. Check out our website at volunteerexpeditions.org. Voluntourism anywhere is a wonderful way to see the world and help those in need!

Last year, I spent a good part of the Fall looking for a volunteer experience for our family of 4 - that includes 2 teenagers. There are great programs for families that give plenty of options regarding location, cultural experiences, volunteer work, vacation fun etc -however, I was shocked at the fees. We did not have a budget that would support that - and we figured, that even for the lower priced fees, it would be more charitable to write a check directly to the organization, on the ground - not the organization that facilitates the trips.

We spent 2 weeks over Christmas last year in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. I found an organization in Granada, Nicaragua that does not charge a fee for family volunteering. We prepped and painted an elementary school. The organization is La Esperanza Granada- they are devoted to children's education - http://www.la-esperanza-granada.org/

Nicaragua is a beautiful country and our vacation with our children was transformative and a wonderful bonding experience.

These are wonderful initiatives. Ironically, it is those high-income earners -- so vilified in our current social/media drive to marginalize them -- who can make it happen. You probably won't find Venezuelans or Cubans initiating projects like this.

I participated in two separate voluntourisms in 2008, one of which was with Global Volunteers in India, with children. It was quite the enriching experience, they had a small guesthouse for the volunteers, and I fondly recall the amazing homemade meals the house-mother/chef made for us. Amazing food. Coincidentally, I had intended to volunteer on the Cook Islands before this when I was in Australia, but I was the only person interested in that specific program at the time so they cancelled it.

The other program I volunteered in was with Pepy in Cambodia. Also a very enriching experience with children, but I gave up after 3 days/nights in a Cambodian jungle treehouse, leaving for Phnom Penh 1 day early.

Yes, that settles it. Anyone who tries to measure the possible effects of climate disruption MUST be delusional, because you and other global-warming deniers say so. Never mind what scientists who study climate have found.

sorry I just found this email. And yes, you can purchase it at www.inexpensiveglobalvolunteering.com and it will be mailed out to you! Good luck! It really is possible to do lots of good work without spending a fortune.

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